An Older Brother's Love
by searching4romeo
Summary: There was no real decision to make, Ron realised. Ficlet about Ron's secret 'older brother' activities.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: It's not mine, not one knut of it.

RW-RW-RW

It was his. All his.

In the smallest bedroom of the smallest house outside the small village of Ottery St. Catchpole, seven-year-old Ron Weasley stared at the five Knuts he held carefully in his hands. Outside the door, his parents spoke in hushed voices.

"…not a Knut in the house. I don't know what to do!"

"It's alright Molly, she'll understand."

"But she shouldn't have to, Arthur! She's only six, she should be allowed to believe in things like tooth faeries."

"Now now dear, don't get yourself worked up. You know that if we could…"

His parents moved off downstairs, their voices gradually fading away.

Ron bit his lip and looked over to where Ginny lay sleeping. Her tooth sat on the windowsill, waiting to be scooped up a non-existent faery.

He looked down at his tiny fortune. The star-cut centres winked back at him, the rewards of a summer's work at the Strawberry Farm in the village.

He looked down at his tiny fortune. The star-cut centres winked back at him, the rewards of a summer's work at the strawberry farm in the village.

There was no real decision to make, Ron realised. Quietly as he could cross the squeaky floorboards, he crept to his sister's bedside. He stacked all five coins neatly beside her pillow and reached up reverently to take the tooth.

Clutching it tightly, he slipped back between washed out orange bed sheets and smiled. He would never be as special to her as Bill was, he knew that, but he was going to put up a bloody good fight.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: An Older Brother's Love

Author: searching4romeo

Summary: A picture can speak a thousand words…

RW GW RW GW RW GW

Seven year olds don't cry, Ron told himself bracingly, as he stared down at the parchment in his hands. He had stolen it from the kitchen wall and retreated to the back porch of the Burrow, to study it closer. It was Ginny's first drawing from her summer art class, she must have brought it home the day before while he was helping the twins find tadpoles by the lake.

In big letters along the top of the sheet were written the words 'MY FAMILY BY GINNY' and underneath that, his mother had written the date. The picture showed six carefully drawn stick men and a woman in a triangle dress. They all had brick red hair and were smiling under a big yellow sun.

Only six stick men.

Ron counted again, just to make sure. His dad was there, plug in one hand and so was Bill, Ron could tell by the long hair. Charlie was next, throwing a Quaffle into the air beside Percy, who was reading and looked very stern for a crayoned cartoon. Fred and George were the last two boys. Ginny had drawn them back-to-back, grinning widely. His mum took up the rear with her bundle of knitting.

The tears threatened again and he bit his lip, hard. Why had Ginny left him out? There was enough parchment left for another person, he was sure. Ron turned it over hopefully, to check the back. No, nothing there either. Had she forgotten him? He had tried his best to always be there for her, just like his dad had told him to when she first came home from the hospital. Maybe he hadn't tried hard enough…

A shadow fell across the page and Ron looked up to see his mum, back from the market with two bags of shopping floating along behind her.

"Ronnie, what's the matter?" she asked, crouching down to eye level.

Fully prepared to pretend that there was nothing wrong, Ron surprised himself by letting out a strangled sob and mumbling, "Ginny… forgot me."

Mrs. Weasley took the parchment in one hand and helped Ron up with the other. "I want to show you something," she said.

They went back into the kitchen and Mrs. Weasley pinned the parchment back to the wall, while Ron scowled. Then she reached up to the top shelf and took down another sheet. "Ginny was going to give this to you yesterday," she told her youngest son, "but she couldn't find you anywhere."

She pressed the folded paper into his hands and he opened it slowly. There, in every colour of the crayon box, was a drawing of himself and Ginny, holding hands and waving up at him. Above it were four words in block capitals that made him grin so much his cheeks hurt:

'MY BEST FRIEND RON'.


End file.
